Britain's winter is refusing to acknowledge the spread of crocuses and budding daffodils, instead promising a return of heavy snow in Scotland, Northern Ireland and possibly northern England at the weekend.

The Meteorological Office has issued warnings of possible disruption in north-west and north-east England from Friday night. High winds caused one death and minor damage in Yorkshire on Thursday.

Heavy snow is expected to fall in all Scottish regions from Orkney and Shetland to the Borders on Saturday. The Met Office said falls of 3-6cm (1.2-2.4in) would "probably extend northwards across Scotland during Saturday, with the potential for a further 5 to 10cm".

"There is a risk that as much as 20 to 30cm of snow could accumulate in places, more especially over higher ground."

Ice is also likely to be a hazard on roads in Scotland and northern England and police and motoring organisations appealed to drivers to drive carefully.

The warnings came after fierce winds caused widespread disruption on Thursday, overturning a lorry in the centre of Leeds. A man was killed in the accident and a woman passer-by is being treated in hospital.

In a separate incident on the A1M motorway near Pontefract a driver was injured when a high-sided lorry was blown over and four cars collided nearby.

Buildings across Yorkshire suffered minor structural damage. A tree was blown down at Knaresborough station in North Yorkshire, causing slight damage to a train and minor injuries to two passengers.

The winds also made two other vehicles overturn on the A1 at Dishforth and Boroughbridge and sheep escaped from a field at Drax, near Europe's largest power station, after a fence was blown down.

The Met Office said gentler weather was expected on Sunday with snow turning to rain, but cold snaps will recur during the week. March's traditional reputation for "coming in like a roaring lion" may be revived by the following weekend, with unsettled conditions and the possibility of gales in the north-west.

Meanwhile it has been revealed that Scotland's councils lost an estimated £600,000 in December because the bad weather led to an almost 50% fall in the number of parking tickets issued compared with the previous year – 11,800 fewer. Stirling and Angus council did not give out a single ticket during the whole month.